Monday mornings mean; lots and lots of cleaning and organizing and planning, usually. I don't know about you, but after the weekend (and particularly Sunday) there's a bit of recovery that needs to be made around the house.


But this Monday morning was made infinitely better by a lot of ripe mulberries found when I was out watering the plants. It's so gratifying to plant something, and be able to eat it's yummy goodness within the week. And it's so gratifying to see the kids walk by the new mulberry trees and grab a sweet little fresh-grown snack.

Last night Tyler was trying to persuade his parents to visit this weekend.

"I'll even let dad mow the lawn for me! No, that's saying a lot. I love mowing the lawn! I do! The smell of the gas and the grass together - it's like heaven... except, I doubt there will be noxious fumes in heaven."

I survived irrigation.

Here's how it went down. The neighbors had used all the water they wanted to use when there was still 20 minutes of their time left, and sent the water on through to me early. This is nice, on the one hand, because water is good for plants, right? But, on the other hand, our yard can only hold so much water. When this same thing happened last week, we ended up with a stream of water running down the road because it had overflowed our yard. And that is bad. So, when they sent the water my way, I was worried because I had 1 hour plus and extra 20 minutes of water coming my way, with no real experience in how to manage it, and knowing that if it overflowed again we could risk losing our water rights.

What's a girl to do, I ask you?

But, I was a champ. I did it. I managed the water, slowing flow here, redirecting it there, stopping and starting it through that area. (The reason our yard takes more than the average attention during irrigation is because it is woefully un-level. We can't bear to dig up a yard of beautiful grass just yet, so that's a project that will be waiting until fall.) And it didn't overflow.

But, whoo boy, it did wear me out.

Here's the crazy thing that happened, because there is ALWAYS a crazy thing that happens, right?

The neighbor's granddaughter wanted to come into our yard to play in the water and mud with our kids. Great! But, as she came through the fence, she let one of their 4 dogs into the yard. No biggee! Except no adult saw it happen, including me. The dog bounded into our yard, through the very muddy and wet grape area, straight across the driveway and right into our back door! Not good! There are muddy doggie footprints everywhere. Everywhere.

Eventually, the kids herded her out of the house and back into her own yard.

So, irrigation mastered. I just hope I don't have to end up doing a mid-nighter all alone anytime soon!

Just as Tyler was walking out of the door yesterday for a 3 day work camping trip thing, I got our call with this weeks' irrigation time. Today at 12:30 pm.

Here's the thing - Tyler is the big boss man when it comes to irrigation. He knows how it works, he's the one out there directing and re-directing the water. Mostly I just stand there and say supportive stuff, and watch the kids get covered in mud and grass. And look cute. But I hardly need mention that.

And now Tyler is gone for our irrigation time, and if we had found out just 15 minutes earlier he could have a least walked me through it. But, no. I'm on my own. But I'll get by with a little help from our neighbors, right?

Wish me luck.

Yesterday afternoon, after a long mid-day at church, our family unwound out on the back lawn. After we stuffed our hungry faces with whatever quick fix we could find, and changed into more comfortable clothes, Mademoiselle declared it was "Family Game Time". So we spread out blankets on the lush, green grass under the shade of an apple tree. Tyler and Mademoiselle and S.A.M. played a fun caterpillar game we got for Christmas from a very smart aunt and uncle (who know us so well). I lay down, half in the shade and half out, the sun on my legs, and the breeze cooling me down. Benefactor used all of us as trampolines and jungle-gyms, and then cuddled in next to me. He found a good "hiding 'pot" with my arm as a headrest and the blanket wrapped up around him. He'd peek out at me adoringly and playfully, then retreat to his hideaway, then peek out again and add a gentle pat on my cheek.

It was nothing short of blissful.

I stayed in the shower an extra few minutes this morning, relishing the peace and quiet and solitude. And then the boys came running down the hall and pounded at the door. Peace and quiet and solitude were gone in a quick second. And I noticed I was smiling, not resentful or disappointed. That's the magic of motherhood to me - I can't help but love these adorable little ones. Some moments I forget what a blessing they are to me, but then the most unexpected moments remind me that I'd never want to live a second without them.


I always wanted to be a mother. I looked forward to it, sometimes very impatiently. The reality of motherhood isn't a shock to me, but it's so much more in every possible way than I imagined it would be.






More joyful,





more intense,






more difficult,



more constant,








more rewarding,







more challenging,







more overwhelming,









more consuming,





more lovely,






more everything.










"Mothers who know desire to bear children. Whereas in many cultures in the world children are “becoming less valued,” in the culture of the gospel we still believe in having children. Prophets, seers, and revelators who were sustained at this conference have declared that “God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.” President Ezra Taft Benson taught that young couples should not postpone having children and that “in the eternal perspective, children—not possessions, not position, not prestige—are our greatest jewels.”

Faithful daughters of God desire children. In the scriptures we read of Eve (see Moses 4:26), Sarah (see Genesis 17:16), Rebekah (see Genesis 24:60), and Mary (see 1 Nephi 11:13–20), who were foreordained to be mothers before children were born to them. Some women are not given the responsibility of bearing children in mortality, but just as Hannah of the Old Testament prayed fervently for her child (see 1 Samuel 1:11), the value women place on motherhood in this life and the attributes of motherhood they attain here will rise with them in the Resurrection (see D&C 130:18). Women who desire and work toward that blessing in this life are promised they will receive it for all eternity, and eternity is much, much longer than mortality. There is eternal influence and power in motherhood. "


-Julie B. Beck
Mothers Who Know

1) I call Mademoiselle "My Darlin'". And every once in awhile I start singing "Oh My Darlin'", and I get about that far, and she starts crying. Once, years ago, I sang more of the song, and she thought it was the saddest thing ever, and now she just can't handle it. And sometimes, for a splist second, I forget.


2) One of these days we will go down to Tucson for a visit and come back and the kids will NOT get sick.


3) Speaking of songs, I keep singing "And the green grass grows all around, all around, and the green grass grows all around" because it does. And I've never lived like this before. And I love it.


4) This morning Mademoiselle and I made The Worlds' Most Disgusting Smoothie Ever. It had an entire fresh pineapple in it. What a waste. I actually poured it down the sink instead of choking it down. That's a first.


5) The apples are growing. The cherries are not. The garden is almost all planted. Just thought you should know.


Bonus #6) Tyler came back from a day-long fishing trip with lots of fish tales and some dirty clothes. I washed them, and they stank. Tyler and I were confused. I left them over the weekend while we were gone. We came home and they stank worse. I opened the washer to run them through again, and it stank. I looked through the ins and outs of the washer and found crawdad shells. I took them to Tyler. He laughed and confessed he had forgotten 2 crawdads were in his pockets. But I love that when I went through his pockets more thoroughly (gotta love cargos with lots of hidden pockets) I found rope, fish hooks, rocks, pine needles and more. So much like an adventurous little boy hoarding his treasures.

Today is a tumultuous day.

The wind is tossing our fruit trees to and fro. It's blustery and intense, and then still for a moment or two, and then blustery and intense again. It's on again, off again cloudy. The sun shines beautifully through the leaves and branches, and then is covered by a blanket of dark forboding clouds.

My moods today are about as tumultuous as the weather. One minute lonely and sad, the next a little playful and silly, and then dark and down.

Everybody has a day like this every once in awhile, but today it's my turn.